Learning To Love
by roo17
Summary: Abused by his father, hated by his town, and shunned by the kids at school. Gaara has learned exactly how cruel the world can be. But can this blond kid named Naruto change his perspective on life, and teach him how to love again? Abuse, Rape, maybe Lemon
1. Chapter 1: School

Learning To Love  
Chapter One: School

_Summary_**: Abused by his father, hated by his town and shunned by the kids in school. Gaara has learned exactly how cruel the world can be. But can this bond kid named Naruto change his perspective on the world, and teach him how to love again?**

**_Warnings_****: Abuse, rape, yaoi (boy x boy), lemon?**

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**The perfect mask to hide the true emotions.**

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**Gaara's POV**

The clock read five-thirty. I slowly sat up, staring at the many posters that hung on the wall in front of me. I don't move my gaze as I quietly turn off the alarm before it has a chance to go off. As I give a small sigh, I pull away the blankets and let my body quickly adjust to the cold morning temperature. I take a quick glance at the calendar next to my clock. September third, great. Another sleepless night has past.

What a surprise.

I haven't got a seconds amount of sleep for the past two weeks, but that was natural, for an insomniac like me. Said insomnia is also the reason for the thick black lines under my eyes. Most people say it's eyeliner, but it's not. But I don't correct them. I could care less what people have to say about me. That's probably why there's so many rumors about me at school. I get up and move across my room to my wooden dresser, pulling out the clothes I was gonna wear today. Black pants that were snug at the hips, yet a little baggy around my legs; a silver chain belt hanging loosely around them. My shirt was a plain dark red cotton shirt with pitch black hems. I make my way to the bathroom that was at the end of the hall, just past my fathers room.

My father was at work, his job on Mondays starting at five. He was one of the important managers at a huge company. And, of course, he usually spent all the money on bills, food and booze. The food was meant for him, I only got the leftovers. I open the door to the bathroom and turn on the light. The lights flicker for a second before brightening even more, light spilling into the dark hallway behind me. I slip out of my shirt and pull over the clean one for today. I do the same with my shorts before looking in the bathroom mirror.

There was a medium sized cut near the corner of my right eye, slightly swollen. Though it didn't mess with my vision, it still hurt when I brought my eyebrows together. I searched my face for anymore cuts or bruises and found one more cut on the side of my left temple; next to my kanji tattoo. Thankfully, my hair covered it completely. I sigh and feel a small pain come from my chest, where my father had punched me just last night. I also flex my hand and slightly flinched in pain. I knew my wrist was fractured, and that it needed to be put in a cast. But I know damn well I can't afford to pay for a hospital bill. I flex it one last time before I open the bathroom cabinet and continue to get ready for school.

**Naruto's POV**

"Come on, Naruto. You gotta get ready." I hear my guardian call from downstairs. I groan in protest, burying my face into the pillow. I've never been much of a morning person, as you can tell. I hear someone enter my room and I crack an eye open to see my temporary guardian standing next to my bed. "Time to get up."

"Kakashi, I don't wanna..." Kakashi sighed, running his hand through his silver hair.

"Naruto, you know you have to get up. And we have to go soon. I got a lot of papers to organize." Kakashi was my homeroom teacher, so he didn't have much to do except organize papers. When he did have his free time though, he would always read the Make-Out Paradise series that my uncle Jiraiya writes. That pervy old man...

I roll out of bed and yawn, rubbing my tired eyes. I walk to my dresser and open the second drawer, I pulled out an orange shirt with a chibi nine-tailed fox on it and normal blue jean pants. I walk into the bathroom that was just to the right of my bedroom door in the hall. I close the door behind me and start changing clothes.

"Iruka called earlier. Says he's gonna be home in three days." A smile crosses my face. Iruka is my legal guardian. The one that saved me from my old foster home. Iruka had a small family problem happening on the other side of town, so he left me in the care of one of his closest friends: Kakashi. I slightly hurry to get ready, throwing pajamas into my room and quickly walking down the stairs. When I hit the bottom step, I slipped, letting out a small yelp. Luckily, Kakashi was near and caught me before I hit the ground. I swear, sometimes he moved so fast, he was like a ninja.

"You gotta be more easy on your leg, Naruto. Don't wanna injure it again." I smile sheepishly, scratching my cheek.

"Heh, sorry." I was still recovering from a broken leg from a month ago. I usually joke to myself about saying, 'So kids, what did we learn last month? Never play your PSP while carrying a full bowl of soup down the stairs!' What a stupid way to break a leg... I grab my bag and look at the clock before I head out the door. It read seven-o-three.

**Gaara's POV**

I continued to sketch in my small tablet as students continued to pass me by, some sending glares, some just glances. By how many students were at school already, I guessed the time was around 7:35. I usually got to school at six, walking from my house to school. My poor-excuse-of-a-father was too damn lazy to drive me or pick me up at school, which didn't bother me too much; though the walk was a good half hour. As I continued to sketch, a shot of pain ran through my arm. I flinched, dropping my pencil onto the ground. I let out a small curse as I went to pick up my pencil, only for someone else to pick it up. _'Great. This guys probably gonna try and pick a fight with me...'_ It wasn't unusual for someone to try and pick a fight with me, though no one's tried for the last year. I look up to see a blond boy with bright blue eyes, whiskers sketched into his cheeks. Wait, whiskers? A grin overcame the boys face.

"Hey, here's your pencil." He held my pencil out to me. I take it with hesitation. That's odd. People usually don't show me a speck of kindness.

"Thanks." I mumble, setting aside my pencil and tablet. The boy continued to stand in front of me, so I looked up at him. "What do you want?"

"My name's Naruto Uzamaki! What's yours?"

"Gaara." I responded quietly. The boys grin grew.

"Hey Gaara! Nice to meet ya!" I ignored the blond boy as I picked up a my tablets and textbook in my left arm. I started walking towards my first class, which was homeroom. Surprisingly, I notice the blond appear by my side. "So, where's your next class?" I didn't answer him, why should I? I didn't have to and I sure as hell didn't need to. "I'm guessing you don't talk much, do ya?" Once again, I didn't answer. Instead, I took a sharp right around a corner, hoping the blond would catch onto the idea I didn't wanna talk to him. But he still continued to follow, much to my disappointment. "So, Gaara, where do you usually hang out? I hang out over there, near the auditorium. You could come hang with us if you have nowhere else to go. My friends are really cool, except Sasuke. He's kind of a jerk, stealing all the girls attention. But I guess he's alright..." The boy continued to ramble about him and his friends and their favorite places to hang. I started to feel a small headache coming on, completely annoyed by the little blond brat. Why couldn't he just shut up? Ten minutes with him, and I'm already ready to strangle him.

I enter my homeroom classroom twenty minutes before the bell rings, taking my usual seat in the back of the class. And, much to my demise, Naruto takes a seat next to me. Guess he has the same homeroom as me. Great. I let out a heavy sigh and stare at the clock. The gods must really want to annoy me today. Now the boys chatting about all his classes and teachers and- Kami just shoot me in the head now and get it over with. I go to rub my temples when Naruto sends me a random question.

"So what are you doing after school?" I blinked, probably out of boredom if nothing else.

"Why?"

"Cause I wanna hang out with my new friend." I frowned. Did he just call me... friend?

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**Yes, OOC-ness, I know. But, please tell me what you think! Plus, all the other chapter will be long than this. Just had to make the first chappy short. ^^" I think I actually like this story a little, even if it's not my best work. So just tell what you think and if you have any clues on how I can approve, please tell me! Thank you~! ^^**


	2. Chapter 2: Classes

Learning To Love  
Chapter Two: And so it begins...

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**'Why are some people so annoying?!'  
'Because sometimes they care.'**

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**POV**

The red-head boy frowned, his nonexistent eyebrows furrowing. "I'm not your friend." Gaara said in, what almost seemed like, a threatening voice. Naruto's smile faltered for half a second before regaining its posture.

"Well, you're my friend. So what are you doing after school?"

"I'm busy for the next three months..." Gaara replied, his voice emotionless.

"Well, maybe if you're ever free, we could hang out sometime!" Naruto was about to continue when the bell rang, the class quickly filling up with students. Gaara silently wished for the boy to move next to one of his friends that sat in the front of the class, but the boy stayed in his current seat. _'The gods really do hate me today...'_ At that point, all Gaara knew was that today was gonna be a long day...

Kakashi walked into the room, a book inches from his nose. He quietly set down his small bag of papers on his desk before taking a seat behind his desk. "Well, there's nothing for me to give you today, so if you have any work, work on it. If you don't have any work, you may quietly talk to your friends." Yes, it truly was the perfect class...

As the class filled with quiet whispers, Gaara pulled out his small tablet again, opening up to clean page. Naruto watched Gaara with curious eyes as the red-head began to write down what seemed like a poem. "I didn't know you wrote poetry." Gaara ignored the blond. After only five minutes, Gaara turned the page and began to gently sketched out a picture. It was of an armored soldier leaning heavily against a crumbling brick wall. There was a hole in the mans armor where his heart lies, blooding seeping from the fist-sized hole. In his right hand was his heart, crushed and black. You could see a dark, eerie forest to the side as nearly transparent souls stretched their arms out to the dying soldier from the ground. Though it was only a sketch, Naruto found himself taking in a small breath of awe. Underneath the paining, Gaara wrote a four line poem.

_'here in darkness lies such a sin,  
a place where good guys never win.  
where souls are lost to roam  
in this shadowy figure of a home.'_

"Wow, that's a great sketch. You should really color it in." The blond commented.

"I usually paint my pictures at home." Gaara said, continuing to add details here and there to his picture. As Gaara turned his wrist a certain way, more pain shot through his arm, causing him to drop his pencil once again. Naruto was quick to pick it up and the red-head gently flexed his hand.

"You okay, Gaara?" Naruto asked, concerned.

"It's just cramps. I get them all the time when I draw." Gaara lied, as he took his pencil back.

"Oh, good. For a second I thought you hurt your wrist or something." Naruto smiled sheepishly, scratching his cheek. Gaara's eyes landed him.

"Why would you care?" Naruto blinked.

"What?"

"Why would you care if I hurt my wrist?"

"Like I said, you're my friend." Naruto caught Gaara frown at the last word. _'Does he have a thing against friends or something?' _"So are you sure you're busy for the next three months?" Gaara gave a slight nod. "Well that sucks. I was hoping we could hang out and I could get to know you better." Gaara sighed before closing his tablet, closing his eyes.

"Two of your friends is trying to get your attention." Naruto blinked again, looking at the front of the class. He saw his friend Kiba waving to him, Sasuke just sitting next to him. Naruto stood up and headed towards a desk that was in front of his friends.

**Naruto's POV**

"Hey guys, what's up?" I asked as I took a seat. Sasuke looked back at Gaara before looking back at me. It was odd, there was something about Gaara that really intrigued me, though I don't know what.

"Why are you hanging around Gaara?" Kiba asked quietly.

"Cause he looks lonely, sitting there all by himself everyday." It's true, Gaara never sat by anyone and never talked unless spoken to.

"Haven't you heard the rumors about him?" Sasuke asked. I shook my head.

"I don't pay attention to rumors."

"Well, they say that--" The bell rang, cutting off Kiba's sentence. "I'll tell ya at recess." I nod before grabbing my stuff and heading towards my next class. My mind wonders to Gaara again. He was so different from everyone else I've ever met. Well, Sasuke was kinda like Gaara, but barely. I can't help but wonder why he acted so cold towards me though. And why did he always frown at the word 'friends'? I was determined to find the answers to these questions I had. And, one way or another, I was gonna make that red-head my friend. It can't be too hard to crack him, right? After all, I did get Sasuke to crack eventually.

I walk into my third period class and quickly look around. Yes! Gaara is in my science class! I grin on the outside, while practically dancing on the inside. Though, I do feel ashamed of myself for not noticing the red-head before. But you can't really blame me, the kids like a ghost. Doesn't talk, doesn't laugh, doesn't do anything. I wonder if I have him in all my classes...

I take a seat next to my new friend who looked slightly annoyed. "Hey Gaara! Guess we have a few classes together!"

**Gaara's POV**

I didn't understand. What made this blond think I was his friend? I couldn't get it out of my mind. Yes, the boy was annoying and hyper, not to mention somewhat of an idiot, but still. Even a complete idiot can tell that I. don't. want. friends. Was that so hard to understand? Apparently it was for Naruto. I look down to see him talking to his two friends. I know they're talking about me, I feel it. I take a closer look at his two friends. I think one was named Kiba, the dog lover. I know for a fact the other one is Sasuke, the pretty-boy. Pf, what a stupid nickname, it wasn't even manly. How could girls find him so attractive? I mean, seriously, his hair looks like a chickens butt. How attractive can that be!?

I almost chuckle inwardly as an image of Sasuke being attacked by a random group of man-eating chickens, screaming like the little girl he his. I quickly do a really rough sketch of the image in my mind in my journal. A chibi Sasuke being attacked by vicious chickens, his right eye hanging out of its socket while he opens his mouth to scream. Ah, if only pictures were real...

As the bell rang, I slowly gather my stuff and head to my science class. The teacher in that class was a total pedo. Even scarier was he only had his eyes for boys. Plus he has a huge obsession about snakes.

What a creep.

As usual, I'm one of the first in the class, taking my seat in the back of the classroom. It seemed like I turned by head away from the door for a minute and I look back, seeing a familiar head of blond hair sitting next to me. "Hey Gaara! Guess we have a few classes together!" I rolled my eyes. I had all my classes with him except periods nine and ten. Guess I really do go unnoticed by students. Well, I guess that's sorta a relief. Mr. Pedophile walked in the room and took a seat behind his desk, his snake-like eyes eyeing a few boys who uncomfortably squirmed in their seats.

"Now class, today we'll be learning about Kingdom, Phylum, Family, Genus and Species of different animals today. Now get out a notebook and textbook. Read pages 368-382 and do the questions on page 383. If you need any help, me and the EA, Kabuto, will come and help." I do as instructed and get out my textbook, opening to the pages given. This class was boring as hell, though sometimes it did have its quirks. Like the one time some kid accidently dropped a bottle of acid on his shoe and started running around screaming. I have to say, I think I was the only who chuckled at the scene. I've always wanted to mix chemicals and start a fire. It would be awesome. The firefighters would come to put the smallest of fires while students in the school would be dismissed for the rest of the day while chaos emerged from the cackling teachers...

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only who thinks of this kind of stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if I was. After all, my very first psychiatrist retired quite early because of me. Though I don't know why, I would hardly say a word to him. Maybe it was my glares. They were known to send kids crying to their parents sometimes. I chuckle inwardly as I remember my short time at the mental institute when I had made one of the male nurses faint by just giving him a glare and saying, 'Shut the hell up.' What a pansy.

I was brought back to reality when I felt someone gently tap my shoulder. I look over to see Naruto staring at me.

**Naruto's POV**

Man this was boring. Science class was always no fun, especially days when we had to do bookwork. I slightly perked up when I saw 'Lab Work: Thursday' written on the board. Yes! Finally, some action! I glance at Gaara through the corner of my eye. He was already on page 376. Holy crap was this guy fast at reading! Its been only seven minutes since we started reading! I glance at the page I was on. 370. I hated reading. Unless it was interesting book, or a manga book, I didn't even dare to touch the thing. Me and books seriously did not go together. After another sixteen minutes, I finally reach the last reading page. I look over at the questions. The first question was easy.

_'What is a phylum?_' I wrote: _a category that ranks above class and below kingdom_.

Second question was: _'How many kingdoms are there?' _My answer: _six_.

Third question: _'Name them.'_ Aw dammit, I couldn't remember the names of them. And I felt too damn lazy to look through the textbook for the answer. I look over at Gaara who was already finished with his work and was staring out the window. I gently tap him on the shoulder, getting his attention. "Uh, Gaara? Could I see your answer for number three?" I was expecting a simple 'no' from the red-head (since he didn't like me around) but was surprised when he gave a small nod. I smile. "Thanks." I copy his answers onto my sheet. _Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia._

I say my thanks once again before handing him back his work. I steal another quick glance at him, wondering what he was thinking about. So, being the curious fox I am, I asked. "Whatchya thinking about?" He didn't respond, so I didn't push it. I quickly began to think of way to start cracking this kid. Even if it kills me, this red-haird boy is gonna be my friend by the end of year!

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**Okay, I know the ending could be better, but I really didn't know how to end it. I really want to draw the picture of the soldier with holding his heart and Sasuke getting attacked by chickens, but I suck at drawing XD**

**So what do you think so far? Like it? Hate it? Well tell me what you think about it please!**

**Thanks so much for the reviews too! You all deserve cookies!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Rumors

Learning To Love

Chapter Three: Rumors

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**Rumors are started when people become jealous of you.**

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**POV**

The bell rang and the science class emptied quickly. The school halls were crowded with students as they tried to get to their fifth period class on time. For Gaara and Naruto, third period was History with Asuma. As Naruto entered the room, he waved his hand in front of his nose. "Asuma, have you been smoking in class again?"

"No, Naruto." Naruto rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Gaara again. "Okay class, today we're moving onto World War Two-" Naruto tuned out the sound of Asuma's voice as he started thinking about Gaara. He never knew someone could be so quiet. Seriously, even Hinata talked more than him. _'Maybe he has social problems.'_ Naruto thought._ 'Sasuke kinda did... That is, until I became his friend._' It's true, Naruto would _not_ leave Sasuke alone until they were friends. Eventually, after three weeks of trying, Sasuke finally gave in. Gaara wouldn't be that hard, he knew that for a fact. Speaking of the redhead, Naruto turned his head to look at the boy. He was reading quietly, his head resting on his hand. The blond quickly turned away though when Gaara's eyes looked up at him. Well, hyper or not, the blond didn't want to be caught staring or anything. Then that'd be just awkward. So Naruto did the only thing he could do at the moment: fall asleep.

Naruto felt himself being shaken awake. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to see who it was. "Kiba?"

"Yeah?" The blond looked around the classroom only to find it empty. He then sat up quickly.

"Hey, where's Gaara?" Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Who cares?" Naruto sent his dog-loving friend and chibi glare. "C'mon. I told ya I'd tell you the rumors about him." The two friends got up and headed out the door and towards the auditorium. The auditorium was the second biggest building on campus, first being the gym. They dodged students who were trying to get to their own hangouts first, sometimes being accidently shoved off the path. When they finally reached their hangout, Naruto stretched his arms and legs until the cracked. He let out a breath and looked at Sasuke and Kiba.

"So there's rumors going around about Gaara?" He asked to get the ball rolling. At the sound of the name 'Gaara', Lee and Neji turned to look at Naruto.

"You mean Gaara Sabaku?" Lee asked. Lee currently wore a dark green t-shirt and black pants. Naruto usually called him bushy-brows cause, well, he had bushy eyebrows! Kiba nodded. Kiba himself was wearing his usual grey jacket and black pants.

"He moved here I think three years ago from Suna. His father is some hotshot in a huge company or somethin." Naruto rolled his eyes and motioned for Kiba to just move onto the rumors. "Rumors say that he cuts himself on his arms and won't talk to anyone. And the most popular rumor about him is: they say he's killed before." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Please, have you seen Gaara? He's the skinniest boy I've ever seen! He's like a twig. And yeah, he doesn't talk a lot, but that doesn't mean he's some kind of murderer."

"Naruto." Neji spoke up. This boy had long brown hair tied up in a low ponytail. He wore a beige colored shirt and shorts. "This is no laughing matter. We think it may be true that he killed someone before. Rumors also say he was kicked out of Suna High for 'mental' reasons. Not only that, when he moved here three years ago, a kid tried to pick a fight with him. They guy ended up with a broken nose and jaw. Then Sasuke tried to fight him. Gaara put him in the hospital for a month and a half." Naruto stared wide-eyed at Sasuke.

"He put you in the hospital?" Sasuke nodded.

"He broke three of my ribs, fractured my skull, and I think I had bruised a lung or something."

"That's why we don't want you hanging around him, Naruto. Yes, he may look weak, but he can take on two, maybe three guys at one time. He is someone not to mess with if you don't want to end up in the hospital." Lee commented. Naruto seemed to want to shake his head. "I also was stupid enough to try and fight him. He broke my arm and fractured my leg."

"So... this Gaara guy is actually... dangerous?" Naruto couldn't believe it. I mean, sure the kid wore eyeliner, never talked and always gave scary glares, but to actually kill someone? Gaara was pale, thin, and looked weak. There was no way he could actually beat up someone like Sasuke and Lee.

"Look, believe what you want, Naruto. But we're only giving you a warning. That kid is dangerous. It'd be best to stay away from him." The blond gave a deep nod. Whether he liked it or not, Naruto was gonna have to be wary around the redhead now. He picked up his bag before waving to his friends. We'll I gotta go to one of my classes early. See ya guys at lunch!" Naruto headed towards the gym where his next class was. On the way, he wondered if a certain redhead was in the same class.

**Gaara's POV**

The bell rang and I made my way to gym, my next class being P.E. I enter the building and notice the blond is already in his uniform warming up. I walk into the dressing room and switch into my uniform before anyone entered the same room. I entered the court and sat on the bleachers, waiting for the other students to enter the building. I notice the blond sit quite a ways from me, as if he was suddenly afraid to be near me. Good, it should be like that. He probably heard the rumors about me killing people. I can't blame him, I wouldn't want to hang around murderers either if I was normal.

Guy looks at me and gives me a thumbs up before saying, 'life been good for ya, Gaara?' I ignore him completely, as usual. I look up and reread what the author has written so far and think that it's terrible; she should rewrite it later. (Me: wow, thanks Gaara. I completely agree...) You're welcome author-san. Anyway, back to the gym. Most students have gotten in their uniform already, which is gray-blue mesh shorts and a green cotton shirt. It's actually a comfortable uniform, believe it or not. It's not like other articles of clothing that rub against your skin and irritate it, leaving red marks.

"Alright students! Everyone here?"

"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee answers, saluting his teacher. Hell, Lee and Guy look almost exactly alike. They have the same bowl-cut hairdo, same thick and fuzzy eyebrows and same youthful attitude. Only thing different is Lee's eyes are more rounder, like an owl's. I wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to be father and son.

"Alright, jog (or run) ten laps around the gym, then do fifteen pushups and fifty sit-ups! Let's go, youthful students!" He blew the loud and obnoxious whistle, causing the students to start running. Half way through the first lap, a certain blond catches up with me.

"Hey Gaara." He starts. I know he's still nervous around me, I can hear it in his voice even though he tries his best to hide it. "Wow, you're pretty fast." He comments. Yes, I've always been fast, and strong. It's just no one notices me while I'm in P.E. Though I may be skinny, I'm still pretty strong. After all, I've never lost once in the thirty-seven fights that I've had. "Hey Gaara, could you do something for me?"

"What?" I know the kid one day and he's already asking me favors. Just great.

"When you're done painting that picture in your tablet, could I see it?" I'm slightly surprised he wishes to see my work when it's done. I didn't think the happy blond like such pictures of dying things in dark places.

"I'll have to redraw it on a canvas first before painting, so it might not be done till sometime next week." He grinned.

"Alright, thanks!" We hit our fifth lap already, ahead of the other students. "So, Gaara... Do you have any siblings?"

"I have an older brother and sister, both live in Suna still."

"Is your sister's name Temri? Or Temahi or something?"

"It's Temari. Why, do you ask?" I'm slightly curious of how he knows my sister's name, but I have a hunch it might be because of that lazy kid he hangs with.

"Shikamaru talks about her sometimes, since they're dating all." That's right, that lazy ass is dating my bossy sister. How they're still dating is still a mystery to me. "Um..." He looks around the gym looking for something to talk about, so I but in before he has a chance to say anything.

"You don't have to force a conversation with me if you don't want to. I'm much of a talker anyway." He nodded before grinning.

"I know, it's just I don't like the silence and all. Plus, I feel I always need to talk." I lay my eyes on him as me make seven laps.

"You know, don't you." I put it as a statement since I don't need to ask. His smile fell before he put his focus on the ground.

"I just don't believe them, but I'm a little curious to know the truth." His smile quickly returned as he looked at me. "But I'm not gonna let some stupid rumors get in the way of our friendship." I stop jogging as we finish our tenth lap.

"Why are you so insistent on me becoming your friend?" I ask, slightly angry and annoyed.

"Well I figured you don't hang with anyone one, you I thought you might get lonely sometimes."

"I don't need friends." I walk away from him to do my sit ups. Apparently the boy didn't like my last sentence for he didn't follow me. I finally do my exercises in wonderful peace, the only thing I wanted since the start of the school day. See, people like me (are there any other such people in the world?) need peace in our life; it's one of the few things we ask for. My stomach growls as I start my sit ups and sigh. I haven't had an actual meal in months, eating only the leftovers father leaves. I stand up and head to the locker room, but I got stopped by Guy.

"Gaara, have you done your pushups?"

"I hurt my wrist the other day, so I was wondering if I could be excused."

"Of course. I hope-" I block him out easily, something I've learned to do at six years old. As soon as he's done talking, I head into the locker room and shed my t-shirt. Luckily no one's in here, so I take the time to look over my chest. I can see a slight bruise on my chest where I felt pain earlier this morning. Also, the makeup I used to cover the cut near my eye is still holding up well. I put on my shirt and pants as the bell rang and the locker room filled with students. It was lunch time and I had nothing to eat as usual. I head to the tree I usual draw under, its near a field by the library; a place no students hang around. I open my tablet to the Sasuke picture and add little touch ups to it. I'd have to paint his picture too, even though it was a chibby picture I couldn't help but love the way the chickens pecked at the boys' eye. I look up and see Naruto heading my way, waving happily to me like I was his buddy. Oh joy.

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**I know that sucked, just like Gaara said, and I will be redoing it soon. Hopefully anyway. So please leave a review if you liked it? Thanks for reading, if you did read it that is! ^^**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE! I need you guys to review a few things for me, since I'll be making an OC based on you're comments. She won't play a really big role in this. But I need you guys to review some of the following: eye color, hair color, name, scars (if you want) and body features. I will create the OC out of YOUR reviews! So if three of you say brown hair and two say blond, I'm picking brown cause majority rules. Thank you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Hang

Learning To Love  
Chapter Four: Hang Out

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People hang out because not only does it give them something to do, but it also gives them a chance to get to know the real you.  
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**-.-.-**

**Gaara's POV**

Why couldn't this kid understand that I didn't want him hanging around? I did tell I don't need friends, so why the hell is he still heading my way? I sighed a quick sigh as I set my tablet to the side of me as I look up at the blond who's currently standing right in front of me. "What do you want?" I noticed he still has a grin on his face. It bothers me that he hardly ever never grins. It's almost sickening.

"I just wanted to check up on ya, you didn't do your pushups after all."

"It's the cramps I get in my wrist when I draw. They can last for up to an hour and a half sometimes."

"Oh, alright." He takes his small blue backpack off his back and opens it, searching it for something I guess he wanted to give me. He puts on weird faces as his hand continues to travel through the bag, almost making me want to chuckle. Finally, he pulls out a small orange bottle from his bag; a look of relief came over him. He tosses me the bottle and I catch it with ease with my left hand, careful not to move my other wrist around to much. I look at the small bottle he gave me.

"Pain killers?" I asked, slightly surprised, as I look up at him. For once, he nodded seriously.

"Yeah, for your wrist. I know it's not cramps like you keep saying it is. It's fractured, isn't it." My eyes widen for a second before returning to normal. How the hell did this kid know my wrist was fractured? "I broke my leg not too long ago and had a cast put on it. They way you were flinching from the pain, I knew it couldn't just be normal cramps. It had to be something fractured or broken cause I flinched like that when I tried to stand on my broken leg."

"How observant." I ponder whether or not I should keep the pain killers. If my father was to find them, it'd be another good beating for me. I throw the bottle in my pocket for now. "Thank you, Naruto." And once again, his grin came back.

"No problem. Hey, is that Sasuke?" He looked at my tablet that I forgot to close. How stupid of me. He grabs it before I have a chance to protest, waiting for him to say something. Instead, he laughs. "Nice picture of Sasuke! I see you also noticed he has hair that belongs to a chickens butt! But wow, that's nice detail you added, even for a chibi picture." He looked down at me. "You gonna paint this too? If you do, you gotta show me it!" I'm surprised once again. I thought the kid would get mad for me drawing a picture of his friend being eaten by chickens.

"You're not mad I drew that?" He shook his head.

"No way! I mean, it's kinda scary you drew this, but it's hilarious at the same time." Then, to my horror, he flips through the tablet. I can't see his face, for the tablet is blocking my view, but I know he must have a disturbed look. After all, I don't exactly draw little bunnies hopping through fields of daisies. "You draw extremely well." Damn, this blond keeps surprising me more and more. He continues to flip through the tablet before he stops to look at a certain picture. He looks at it carefully, a long silence falling between us. I stand up to take the tablet from him, but he backs away. He looks at the picture then to me, then back at the picture.

"Give me my tablet back." I ask sort of demandingly. I really don't like when people go through my things without permission, but I don't feel all to angry at the blond; which is slightly strange. I hold my hand out. "The tablet, Naruto."

"Is this a drawing of yourself when you were smaller? And who's that next to you?" He asked. Shit, he's looking at that picture. I snatch the tablet away quickly, slightly angry with myself for not taking my tablet back earlier. I pick up my other things before facing the blond once again. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have looked through that without your permission. Well, it's a shame you're busy for the next three months. I would have asked if you wanted to hang out at the park tomorrow or something."

"Actually... I wouldn't mind hanging out with you tomorrow." The boy smiled brightly.

"Really? Awesome! We could walk there from school tomorrow. What time do you have to be home?"

"Before five-thirty." He nodded and waved goodbye as he headed towards the cafeteria.

"Alright, see ya tomorrow!" I can't help but stand there and think _'what the hell did I just agree too...'_

**Naruto's POV**

I smile an accomplished smile. Why shouldn't I? I mean, I just made friends with Gaara Sabaku! Well, not exactly friends since he says he doesn't need any. But we're _something, _right? I can't help but feel as if he's forcing himself to hang with me, probably to pay me back for giving him the pain killers. Why didn't the boy go get a cast or something for his wrist? A fractured wrist is not something you just brush off easily, it needs medical care to heal properly. Maybe he just didn't have enough money for a cast? How did he hurt his wrist like that in the first place anyway? I have a lot of question for Gaara tomorrow, hopefully he'll answer some. Like that picture he drew in his tablet.

It was of a young boy (probably himself) with a sad look on his face as he clutched his chest where his heart is. Next to him was a tall man with shoulder-length hair who also had a sad look on. It wasn't completely finished, for there were other little sketches next to the two people. I wonder what the full picture will look like.

"-uto! Naruto! You there?" I snapped out of my thoughts and saw Kiba, Sasuke and Neji standing in front of me. I looked around and saw that I was already at the cafeteria. "Naruto, you alright? We were looking for ya for past ten minutes. You're never late for lunch."

"Ah, sorry. I had to stop by one of my classes really fast." My stomach growled and I nearly ran into the building to get my food, my friends right behind me. As we wait in line, I think of the picture Gaara drew of Sasuke. I can't help but turn towards Sasuke, imagining him being attacked by chickens. He stares right back.

"What?" I laugh, confusing him even more. His eye twitched with arritation. "Dobe..." Yes, Gaara may draw disturbing pictures, but he also had quite humorous ones, too.

**POV**

Naruto walked down the halls of school, waving goodbye to his friends as he entered his period nine class. Agriculture. He didn't really mind that class, he actually loved watering and planting trees. It's just that they _didn't_ plant anything. All they did was shovel compost for almost an hour. To put it plainly, it was like the teacher was making the students do his dirty work.

Naruto entered the classroom and sighed as he placed his blue bag on the table, taking out his tablet and pencil to write down the stuff on written on the whiteboard. Yamato walked into the room, setting down todays schedule on his small, cramped desk. "Alright class, today we'll be planting some plants in the garden. Can I have a volunteer to help me carry the three small trees?" Naruto raised his hand immediately. "Okay Naruto, could you carry two trees up after you're done writing?"

"Sure Yamato-sensei." Naruto scrawled down what was written on the board before shutting his tablet and sat waiting for the other students to finish. After they all finished, and Yamato explained what was on he board, they finally headed up to the garden; both plants safely planted in Naruto's arms. He walked through the unchained gate and into the garden, passing all the working students. He spotted Yamato at the bottom of the small dirt hill waving for him to come. Naruto slowly made his way to said person, careful to not drop the two fragile plants. "Is this where we'll be planting them?"

"Yep, just make sure each plant is planted at least five feet away from each other. Otherwise if they're to close now, they'll clash into each other as they grow and fight for sunlight." Naruto gave a nod before taking the shovel from his teacher's hand. He dug said item into the damp earth, uprooting weeds in the process. No matter what, he was gonna make sure those plants were planted with special care and love! For Naruto always has, and will be, an earth-loving boy.

**XxXxX**

Gaara walked to his next class as the bell rang, dodging the students easily. He had his favorite class next with his least favorite teacher: Art and Deidara. Gaara loved to draw, it was one of the many things that could calm him down and allow him to pass the time somewhat quickly. It also allows to convert his thoughts into pictures, images.

Gaara could never bothered with teachers, he would mostly ignore them and they did the same to him. But then there was Deidara. A loud, slightly self-centered, artist who has a problem with Gaara's art. Most of the school teachers had a problem with his art, but he could handle that. Just that Deidara... it seemed like he almost wanted Gaara gone, dead. And that just didn't sit right with Gaara, oh no. He entered the room and instantly felt the eyes of his rival fall on him. He kindly sent the blond teacher a glare.

"Welcome back to class Gaara, un." The redhead ignored the teacher's sarcastic greeting as he sat down in the back of the class. A piece of Deidara's artwork hung on the wall. His work was odd, and barely creative to Gaara. The man mostly sculpted than paint, and the sculptures mostly consisted of bird-like animals. The class filled up as the bell rang. "Well class, today we're gonna draw the thing that bothers you the most, un. So get out your canvas's and get started." Oh, Gaara knew just what he was gonna draw. It was blond and he hated it. He took out a paintbrush and paint after he set up his canvas and dipped the brush in the yellow. Oh yes, his teacher was gonna love his.

The class was a few minutes from ending and Gaara was waiting for his painting to dry. Deidara stood behind Gaara and observed the painting, a nerve ticking slightly. "Nice painting, _Gaara_." The redhead could tell the last word was filled with detest, causing him to almost grin. Instead, he let out a 'hn' before putting away his paint. The blond he didn't like. That's right, it was Deidara that he painted. (Ha! You thought it was Naruto, didn't you?) Both the student and teacher took a whole minute just glaring at each other, wishing the other was dead. For Gaara always has, and will be, a death-loving boy.

**XxXxX**

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, an accomplished grin on his face. He looked over the three newly planted trees in the ground, each planted perfectly five feet away from each other. Score 1 for Naruto, baby! He put the shovel away as he reached the top of the hill, meeting Yamato. "I planted them just as you asked, sensei!"

"Great, thanks Naruto." The two were the last to leave the garden as they headed back down towards the class before the bell rang. Naruto grabbed his small blue bag and gave his sensei a quick wave goodbye as he headed out of the class. He noticed Gaara walk off campus and (he guessed) towards home. He ran up to the redhead, a grin on his face.

"Hey Gaara! Heading home already?" He got a nod as a response. "So how was 9th period?" Gaara gave a shrug. "You should really talk more."

"Hn."

"So, about tomorrow, we could meet at the park after school. It'll be a little busy there since it's right after school, but not too busy. So how's your wrist right now?"

"It's fine."

"I hope the pills help you. Don't forget to take them when your wrist is in pain, alright? You're really quiet. By the way, how did you fracture your wrist?"

"I live here, so I must go. Thanks for the pills." Gaara said as he walked toward his front door. Naruto gave a wave goodbye.

"Wow, we live only a house away! See ya tomorrow!" Naruto walked down the street and to his own house. (It was Gaara's house, an empty house, then Naruto's incase you were wondering.) The redhead sighed and opened the front door, flicking on the switch to the kitchen. He didn't see his father's car in the driveway, so he knew he was safe... for now. He walked upstairs to his room and threw his bag on his bed, reaching to take out his drawing tablet when he suddenly heard a car pull up. He heard the front door open and slam shut. He walked to the stairs and looked down, his father standing at the bottom, a scowl on his face.

"Get down here..." Gaara reluctantly started walking down the stairs...

**XxXxX  
Okay, so far the OC has Strawberry Blond hair. Her eyes are either green, brown, or greyish-blue. So vote on eyes, body and name! :D  
And thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! ^^**


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